6 years 2 months 10 days

Day 2262. Last Sunday I got up to cook lunch, after we had eaten, Randy left with Tammy and Emmy to take them to their maths club. I then left at 2 pm to pick them up. Like last time, the kids wanted to go to the playground for a while. It was nice and sunny so they climbed around for a while, then we went home.

I was glad we didn't have to go anywhere as we had gone to church the day before. I had called Paul in Mali earlier and started writing a new newsletter that I was able to finish and send out. I needed that time to get that done. Thankfully the kids were downstairs playing for a while. Once I was done, I went downstairs for piano practice. We also did some more reading and writing practice, especially in light of their exam on Tuesday. 

On Monday everyone went back to school after their one-week fall break. I then lay back down for a while but had to get up at 9:30 am as I had a 10 am student. I taught until 11 pm, then wrapped it all up and warmed up leftovers to eat. At 12:15 pm I left the house to go to the gym for an hour before picking up Sammy from school at 1:30 pm. Randy left at 1 pm to pick up the other two. Sammy and I were home before 2 pm, the others returned home after 2:30 pm. At 2:30 pm I started teaching. Once I was done, I made their dinner sandwiches, then I left the house with Tammy and Emmy at 3:45 pm. Randy and Sammy stayed home and just left briefly for a bread pickup.

We rode two subways - doing reading practice - then walked to the premises of their programming class. We got their early, but everything was ready for them. I left them there and walked to the nearby McDonald's to teach at 4:45 pm. It wasn't ideal because of a certain noise level, but it worked. After I was done teaching, I left and walked back to their maths club. I walked in a few minutes before it was over to see what they had done. They had built lego robots or vehicles in teams of two and programmed them. Emmy had already taken his apart and was playing with his team mate. Tammy was just about to take it apart, and so we left just before the class was supposed to be over at 6 pm.

By 6:30 pm we were back home, and the kids sat down by my computer right away as their music school's online class they do about twice a month had already started at 6:15 pm. Sammy was very excited when it was his teacher that was doing the class. While they were watching and participating, I was cutting up their fruit and gave it to them right there at my desk. After the class was over, we went downstairs for piano pratice, then it was bathtub time. I was able to get a Bible story in before praying for them and sitting down at the computer to teach at 8 pm.

Randy always leaves with Tammy and Emmy just after 7 am, which is when I lie back down after having filled their snack boxes and done Tammy's hair. However, Sammy does not let me sleep any more and so I'm awake until my alarm goes off 50 minutes later at 7:55 am. And at one point Sammy always climbs into bed with me to warm up as I have the balcony door open at night to keep the bedroom cool. Once he's warmed up, he leaves again. When the alarm goes off, I get up to get Sammy dressed and put him into his wheelchair and put his snacks into his backpack. Then he waits at the door for Randy to return so he can take him to school. I then lie back down and listen to Sammy until Randy leaves with him.

Today I had my next alarm (the fourth one) set for 8:55 am but I didn't need it any more. Our cleaning lady was supposed to come but she sent a message that she was sick. So I canceled that alarm and just had the 9:30 am one left. When it went off, I got up for good to get ready to teach at 10 am.

It was a new student and a 75 minute-class so it was a whole lot more intense than my other classes and took a lot out of me. I then only had a few minutes until my next student. I taught until 12:20 pm, then I went straight into the kitchen to cook. We ate, then Randy left to pick up Tammy and Emmy, and a few minutes later I also left to pick up Sammy.

By 2 pm we were back home. Sammy started watching videos on the projector, drinking icetea and eating Kitkat, while I was getting ready for my 2:30 pm student. Randy and the other kids returned home just before I started teaching. I wanted to know right away how their reading and writing exam had turned out, and they both said it had gone well. We'll see in two weeks when I have a meeting with their teacher.

Randy and Emmy left just before 3 pm to go to Emmy's soccer class. Once I was done teaching at 3:20 pm, I made their dinner sandwiches, and just before 4 pm I left the house with Tammy and Sammy.

This time we took the subway for three stops to then get on a bus that would take us straight to where we had to go, and that bus would take us closer than the other one. We just about made the 4:13 pm bus. We then stayed on it for a while, doing reading practice, then walked to the school where Emmy had his soccer class. When he wasn't coming up from the gym, I went downstairs with Tammy and Emmy and found him in the locker room. Their class had gone a little overtime. 

We then walked to the bus stop where we separated again. Tammy is never happy when I'm not the one going to ballet class with her. She and Randy took the bus going one direction, while I got on the bus going the other way with the boys. Now it was Emmy who did his reading practice, and both boys were eating their sandwiches. After we got off, we took the subway home. Both boys were still hungry and wanted bread with Nutella that I made them. They were on their tablets watching stuff and eating, while I was working on the computer and then cutting up their fruit.

Randy and Tammy came home at 7 pm. Tammy started eating her fruit, but then it was bathtub time. After they were back out, we went downstairs for piano practice. Back upstairs there was no time left for a story tonight. I quickly prayed for them and sat down at my computer to teach while they went to bed.